u/StationImpossible749

Every few years the definition of “rich” in India changes.

Earlier people used to say:

“Bhai 1 crore ho jaye life set.”

Then it became 3 crore.

Then 10 crore.

Now I’m literally seeing flats in Ghaziabad being sold for 6 CRORE. In Ghaziabad. And people compare these prices with Gurugram now like it’s normal.

I genuinely want to understand — WHO are these buyers?

Most people today don’t even live in joint families anymore.

It’s usually:

husband-wife

maybe one child

sometimes no child at all

So who is comfortably paying:

6 crore for a flat

plus registration

plus interiors

plus maintenance

plus school fees

plus medical expenses

plus car loans

plus insane taxes

Especially in a country where the IT sector itself feels uncertain every 6 months.

Layoffs everywhere.

AI fear everywhere.

Job insecurity everywhere.

Even people earning 25–40 LPA today don’t feel secure enough to plan 20 years ahead.

And still builders are launching “luxury” projects after luxury projects with prices that honestly feel disconnected from reality.

Then I read somewhere that to retire peacefully in India now you need 30–40 crore if you want:

good healthcare

decent lifestyle

inflation protection

financial independence

And honestly? Looking at current real estate prices, maybe that number is not even exaggerated anymore.

What shocks me more is that this is happening despite:

terrible pollution

overcrowding

traffic

poor urban planning

water issues

uncertain air quality

Summer temperatures cross 45°C.

You literally cannot step outside during peak afternoon heat for weeks.

AQI is horrible for months.

People are breathing toxic air daily.

And despite all this, prices keep going UP like this is some global luxury paradise.

At this point I seriously wonder: Are normal salaried people completely priced out of metro life forever?

Or is there just THAT much:

black money

business money

old wealth

NRI money

startup exits

investor money

Because from a normal middle-class or even upper-middle-class perspective, these prices genuinely don’t make sense anymore.

Sometimes it feels like India is becoming a country where:

earning well is not enough

saving well is not enough

even “success” is not enough

You need generational wealth just to feel financially safe.

And the scary part is… this trend doesn’t even seem to be slowing down anymore.

I’m a software engineer with around 6 years of experience, and recently I resigned from my ₹25 LPA job.

To be honest, I think I’ve reached a point where it just feels like “bas ho gaya.” I used to be an extremely ambitious person from my college days. I taught students, freelanced, worked through UrbanClap, created websites for clients, constantly chased growth, money, and bigger opportunities.

But somewhere along the way, I feel mentally exhausted from this entire cycle of working endlessly.

Right now, I’m 29. I don’t really have plans for marriage, kids, or a very structured future. I have savings of around ₹15 lakhs, and lately I’ve been seriously thinking about moving to Manali and just living a slower, peaceful life for some time.

Financially, I know I’m not “free,” but I feel I can survive for at least 1–2 years comfortably. If my monthly expenses in Manali stay around ₹30k, I think I realistically have a runway of around 3–4 years.

The strange part is that I’m not even aggressively looking for another job. I’m not getting many remote interview calls either, but deep down I don’t think I truly want to go back to the same corporate routine right now.

At this stage, I just want:

- peace

- clarity

- slower days

- time to think

- and maybe eventually figure out what kind of life I actually want

Maybe I’ll build something later, maybe I’ll freelance again, maybe I’ll create apps/projects on my own terms… I genuinely don’t know yet.

Has anyone here gone through something similar?

Did taking a break from the corporate race actually help you mentally or professionally?

And for people who moved to places like Manali, how was the experience long term?

I honestly didn’t expect this at all, but here we are.

We’re a Christian family, and we don’t really follow or actively teach about other religions at home. But somehow my 7-year-old started asking questions about different gods he saw in stories and videos. One day, he saw something about Lord Shiva and just got… fascinated.

He kept asking me questions like “Why does he have a trident?” and “Why is he always calm?” — I didn’t even have proper answers 😅 but I loved that curiosity.

At the same time, we were dealing with the usual problem… way too much YouTube. It had become his default activity. Any free time = screen. And taking it away always turned into an argument.

A few weeks ago, I randomly came across some coloring pages online — I actually bought a small PDF bundle and printed a few of those sheets at home, thinking maybe he’d try it once.

At first, he didn’t care much.

Then one evening, he picked one up and started coloring… and while doing it, he started telling me his “version” of Shiva’s story in his own words. It was honestly the cutest thing.

Now it’s become his favourite thing to do.

He still watches YouTube, but it’s no longer constant. Some days he’ll just sit quietly and color for 20–30 minutes, completely focused. I’ve also noticed he’s calmer, especially before bedtime.

What surprised me the most is that it didn’t feel like I was taking something away (the phone). It felt like he just found something he genuinely enjoyed more.

I’m not saying this is a miracle fix, but for us it helped break that nonstop screen habit in a really peaceful way.

Kids are weirdly amazing like that… sometimes they just need the right kind of alternative, not strict rules.

Just wanted to share in case any other parent is going through the same thing